Poignant Trash new works by Connie Noyes

Poignant Trash

new works by Connie Noyes

September 10 – October 23, 2010

Opening Reception: Friday, September 10, 6-8 pm

(Chicago) The EC Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of works by Connie Noyes "Poignant Trash". An opening night reception will be held at the EC Gallery, 215 N. Aberdeen, Friday, September 10, 2010, 6-8 pm.

"Poignant Trash" is part of Connie Noyes' new series "Human Steps", which references the many disparate elements encountered in daily urban life - a metaphor for the way in which dark affects light and vice versa, how the sweet can become sickly if overdone and how close proximity to millions of people, diverse cultures and visual images can both inspire and overwhelm. It is a metaphor for tight quarters, pleasant or not so pleasant meetings and vibrant energy of the city in contrast to shadowy and emotionally difficult places.

For "Poignant Trash", Noyes uses what most people consider garbage as a jumping off place in the work. The materials at one point might have been utilitarian, but were never considered beautiful. The recycled styrofoam, roofing paper, shiny, plastic surfaces often synonymous to commercial objects, would never pass inspection as such. Dirt falls onto the canvases, scratches, cracks, marks occur and there are no straight lines, only the illusion of such. Through the act of turning detritus into “works of art”, or elevating the prestige of garbage, Noyes aims to question the status quo of beauty, worthiness and usability.

poignant trash
searches for value,
in the mundane.
a metaphor for
the discarded.
the dismissed.

poignant trash-
utilitarian materials
never before beautiful.
layers information,
of opposition,
in the same space.

poignant trash
playful
grotesque,
upon close inspection.
the dirty and damaged
are delicately beautiful.

poignant trash,
though often ignored,
is on view daily.
look more, see more
it vies for emotional appeal.
glance away.

poignant trash
is waste
elevated in prestige
by context.
strong.
fragile.
unapologetic.

Connie Noyes (b. 1955, Washington, DC) lives and works in Chicago.
Noyes is an award-winning painter whose work has been exhibited in Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and abroad in London, Florence, Paris and Malaysia. In the 4th Annual Florence Biennale in 2003, she took a 5th place prize in painting from a field of 500 painters. She has been selected for prestigious residencies, including the Emaar International Art Symposium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2005); the Thupelo International Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa (2005); and the 6th Annual International Symposium of Art in Bulgaria (2006). Noyes' work is in a number of public and private collections including that of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned her MFA in 1980.

For more information on Connie Noyes "Poignant Trash" please contact Ewa Czeremuszkin at info@ec-gallery.com or call 312.850.0924.